PITTSBURGH — We are continuing to get results on a story you will only see on Channel 11. A big hurdle has been cleared for an East Liberty woman who hasn’t had a working sewer since February, when a massive tree in her front yard crushed the line.
After Emma Johnson Byas shared her story with Channel 11 and local District 9 Councilman Khari Mosley, her GoFundMe raised nearly $24,000.
Councilman Mosley also coordinated with multiple city departments and the non-profit, Tree Pittsburgh, to remove the Sycamore at no cost to Byas, who is almost 83 years old and lives on a fixed income.
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For days, crews chipped away at the tree, meticulously bringing it down, branch by branch.
“I’ve never seen anything like it,” Johnson Byas told Channel 11. “It’s just amazing to watch the work. I’m just thinking about the machinery, the manpower and the expertise it takes to get a job done.”
Emma Johnson Byas said she put her faith in God instead of dwelling on it.
“That was the first line of defense,” Johnson Byas said. “God, I have nothing - how will I take care of this? People at my church, my family, my friends, and as I said, strangers who don’t even know me have come from everywhere to pitch in and help.”
Councilman Khari Mosley worked with different city departments and Tree Pittsburgh to remove the tree.
Now, Johnson Byas can focus on the massive sewer line repair. The plumber says it’s a complex and dangerous underground job.
“I’m scared to death about the plumbing,” Johnson Byas added. “A part of the break is under the porch, which cannot be removed. It’s part of the house. I’m nervous.”
She says it’s bittersweet not seeing that massive sycamore out her window anymore, but she’s learned that The Land Forest Group, an urban mill, will inherit the tree. They will work with Tree Pittsburgh to make the tree into lumber that will be used as building materials right here in Pittsburgh.
That’s something that’s extra personal for Councilman Mosley.
“As someone who is the son of one of the great sculptors who reused wood a lot, and built a career reusing wood, it means a lot to me,” Councilman Mosley tells Channel 11.
Emma will be able to use the money raised from her GoFundMe to pay for the sewer line replacement. It is expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
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